I have had many dealings with agents. The best are a rare breed indeed a world away from the rest, in fact they often dont even need to advertise or sell - they just find the good investments and adivse.

Its dead easy to spot the spivs; The spivs will usually not have sufficient detail on aftersales, rental logistics, rental season, competition etc.

They will say things like "Calabria is a good investment cause its cheaper than Spain" - what you must to as an investor is unpick EVERY word and ask yourself what it means.

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Been investing abroad a few years. Always amazed people invest in places that produce just a few months rent per year